The Institute
by x.hidingfromtheworld
Summary: Alice is sent to the Institute because her mother thinks she's cutting herself. Jasper goes there to counsel so he can get internship credit for college. What happens when the man falls for the girl who's been hurt too much to trust anyone? AH.
1. One: Prolouge

**hey, so here's another story that was rotting in my brain!**

**I promise this one's actually going to get updated! (shocker,**

**i know!) not even joking! yay for you guys! hope you all**

**enjoy! and i'd like to give some people a few shoutouts…**

**sara! ~ thank you so much for the shoutouts! i thought i'd return the favour… as if you'd actually read this… i don't really blame you if you don't though… i suck anyway, i understand you probably don't want your eyes to bleed out… but i love you! i'll be there for you through anything, i just want you to know that, as if you don't already.**

**jojo! ~ thanks for always reviewing and lying about me being a good writer! it makes me feel happy… even if it's totally not true. i love you twiinny!**

**-x-**

**Alice's POV:**

"Please, stop James! You're hurting me!" I shrieked as pain filled my very essence. I could barely breathe, just barely managing to gasp out those words. I shook in fear; the pain just seemed to get worse every time.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this any better?" James leered, and the punching stopping, but I still had the urge to cough out blood that being punched mercilessly in the stomach over, and _over_, and _over_ again. I screamed out this time, as he grabbed my arm and twisted it in an angle that wasn't humanely possible.

"W-why?" I gasped in the pain James was giving me. Tears were forming in my eyes, showing him just how much he was hurting me.

"I saw you flirting with him, you stupid little whore. You're lucky I don't dump your sorry ass. I'm giving you exactly what you deserve, you unlovable piece of filth. Nobody could love stupid filth like you, and you can't possibly think I'm lucky to have you. You're a dirty whore, and you should be worshipping the fucking ground I walk on." James sneered coolly after his little speech, digging a razor into my wrist, allowing it to overlap scars that were barely visible anymore. The tears in my eyes spilled over, staining my pale cheeks. I shook as I started to get dizzy.

But I know I deserved it. I was an unlovable dirty whore; James was right. If only I didn't giggle at that guy's stupid little pickup line. _'Is there a mirror in your pants? 'Cos I can see myself in them.'_ It was stupid of me, anyway. Why did that make me giggle? It wasn't as if he thought I was attractive in the first place. James had cut my once-long black hair, so I had to fix it. Now I resembled a pixie, almost to a T. My hair stuck out in every which direction, but somehow managed to fit me; not like any guy thought it was cute. My slightly dimpled cheeks were usually wind-kissed from running everywhere, but it wasn't really my fault the high of running made me forget my pathetic life. My wrists were covered in an uncountable amount of scars, thanks to James, so I usually wore long sleeves. When it was too hot for long sleeves, I'd wear scrunchies over my scars. I didn't want anyone finding out about them; only my little sister knew. I was barely four foot, nine inches, and my love for ballet flats didn't help the fact. My eyes were the most unattractive gray-blue, resembling a stormy sky. As you can see, I'm completely unattractive.

I knew I was lucky to have a patient, caring, loving guy like James. He at least _tried _to love me, the unlovable Mary Alice Brandon.

**Jasper's POV:**

I sighed, looking at the suitcase on my bed. I had no idea what to bring. Should I bring my Swiss Army Knife? No, if a cutter went though my bag, I'd be screwed and wouldn't get my internship paper signed. Going to the Institute would be pointless if I wasn't going to get my college credit for it. Without a signed internship paper, I would never be able to become a counselor for troubled teens.

I decided to bring my clothes, a couple extra pairs of shoes, a few empty notebooks, and a ton of pens. I admit I had a small pen addiction, but it wasn't really my fault I loved writing in different colours. Wow… that sounded very homosexual…

I sighed again, looking around my dorm room. Peter was hiding that he was secretly ecstatic about getting the place to himself for a whole semester. Now he can do certain activities, so to speak, with his girlfriend Charlotte; things he would've dare do with me around. I know ew, right? But, I wasn't going to judge, because it wasn't exactly like I'd never done the same thing with my now ex-girlfriend Maria. I hated how she was so clingy to me, and how she expected us to be together _forever_, so I'd broken things off with her. You can imagine how upset the girl was. I was actually surprised she hadn't gone on a killing spree… Peter gave her five weeks, though, when she finds out I've left.

I wasn't really ecstatic to go to the Institute. Sometimes I could feel people's emotions; I wasn't looking forward to working with suicidal people. But I'd always wanted to help fucked up teens. Ever since what happened with my fucked up father, I wanted to help people who went through the same thing my mother and I had.

After I finished packing, Peter barged into the room. "If you wanna make your flight, we have to leave. Now."

"Kay, thanks Pete." I replied immediately, my Southern accent leaking through. I grabbed my suitcase, somewhat surprised at the weight; I'd expected it to be heavier. Then again, the Army had helped me get fitter, and jumpier. Peter said that after I came back from Iraq I hadn't been the same.

After Peter parked the car, I got out, bringing the suitcase with me. "We'll miss you, Jazzy!" Charlotte shrieked, managing to tackle me. It never failed to amaze me how Charlotte, with her five-foot even frame, could manage to scare me and Peter. I was, after all, six three, and Pete was at least five inches taller than she was. Then again, thinking about it, Charlotte just held herself with such confidence; it was hard to not be afraid when she wanted you to be.

"Yeah, _Jazzy_-purr, we'll be missin' ya!" Peter chuckled. I rolled my eyes, lazily flipping him the bird. His chuckling just turned to booming laughter.

"Bye, guys. And for God's sake, stay out of my bed." Charlotte turned red as I mentioned their, shall we call them 'habits'? Peter's laughing stopped and he was the one flipping the bird at me this time. I rolled my eyes. "Lovely comeback, Pete. Anyway, I've gotta go." I left as they yelled their good-byes after me.

After I got on the plane, I sighed as I looked out the window, slowly falling asleep, only to be awoken by the turbulence. After we all got off, I was left to look for Dr. Cullen. I sighed in relief as I saw him, remembering his face from the web-conversation we'd had a few weeks ago.

"Hi Dr. Cullen." I greeted, respect lining my voice.

"Hello, Jasper. Please call me Carlisle, or I'll be forced to call you Mr. Whitlock," he smirked slightly, and I smiled at him as I realized he was joking.

"Alright, Carlisle. It's an honor to meet you, in person."

"The pleasure's all mine. Now, I just need to go over something. You'll be assigned to work with a small group of people; all with different types of problems. Just listen to what they have to say; be open with them, and in some cases, be their shoulder to cry on, and you'll get your paper signed. If you're an ass to anyone, if you completely ignore someone, or if you fuck with _anyone_'s mind, I will refuse to sign it, even if you hold a gun to my head. Have I made myself clear?" I was honestly shocked with the ferociousness in his voice, but it made me respect him even more.

"Yes, sir." I fought the urge to salute at him.

"Well, I'm glad. Let's go now." After that, we left to the Institute.

**-x-**

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	2. Two: The Group

**ohmigod. i'm seriously excited right now. i went**

**to check my email and it turns out i have eighteen**

**messages from fanfiction regarding this story! that**

**made me super excited, so i'm reviewing today! love**

**you all and thanks for everyone who reviewed and/or**

**added 'the institute' to their story alert! it means a ton,**

**especially coming from people i didn't even know existed!**

**so, i hope you enjoy this chapter. and **joanne**, i hope you**

**don't hate me for not showing you at school first.**

**-x-**

**Alice POV:**

I left as soon as I was able to stop the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. I hated knowing how much he effected me. I hated how he controlled me, but Mother seemed to love James more than I could even hope to be loved, but that was just to be expected. It's not like I was lovable, and even if I was, she'd hate me anyway. Mother'd just married Father for the money, and was going to annul their marriage when she found out about me. You can imagine she wasn't happy _at all_; you could say I'm the little devil's spawn that fucked up my mother's perfect life; but it wasn't like she was forced to care for me. As she continued to lead her socialite life, a nanny took care of me, but she hated me too. Nothing new for Alice Brandon, really. The only person who didn't hate me was my little sister, Cynthia, but she was just a loving, sweet, caring person. Cynthia and I were exact opposites, really. She was quiet while I was outgoing, forgiving where I tended to hold grudges, and most importantly, she didn't give a crap about what she wore while I had to look my best at all times. But we were sisters and we loved each other.

Cynthia was the one person who knew just exactly how James treated me; she was the only one I'd dare told. When I was finally home, I immediately rushed to my little sister's room to get some comfort. I knew it was my fault, but it helped having someone actually pretend to care.

"What happened, Ali?" Cynthia asked worriedly, busting around to help my bleeding wrists.

"James was just telling me to quit whoring around. It's my fault, not his. I'm lucky to have a loving guy like James, who forgives me for being a slutty bitch." I told the only person who'd actually listen. She only seemed to get angrier, if _possible_.

"You think _this_," Cynthia began, waving her arms towards my scarred wrists and bruised body, "is _loving_? You think you're _lucky _to have a bastard like him beat you? You think that _**barbaric**_ asshole is _loving_?" I winced, knowing the speech about to erupt. "You deserve a loving guy, Ali, a guy who supports you and wouldn't _dare _to even think of harming you in any way; someone who wants to spend his whole life with you; who would give anything to marry you at the soonest possible moment. You deserves someone who loves _**you**_, not just your curves or your pretty little face!" I sighed in relief when I knew her outburst was over. But Cynthia surprised me by adding something else. "You need someone who accepts you can see the future. You need someone who isn't going to end up killing your very spirit. You, Mary Alice Brandon, need to break things off with James before he kills you, inside and out."

**-x-**

That was when my mother came in, just in time to see the scars of my bloodstained wrists, the new scars overlapping the old.

"Cynthia, your _boy_friend said—" Mother paused mid-sentence when she saw my wrists, which I wasn't able to cover up in time. "You _**cut **_yourself?! You're a _**disgrace**_ to the _Brandon_ name, you stupid little _**freak**_!" I winced at her shrill voice. "_**Jonathan**_! Get over here!" Mother yelled down the hall, and a moment later Father joined our little love-fest.

"What is it, my—" he stopped mid-sentence as well, also noticing my wrists. Suddenly I was the center of attention. "Mary Brandon, I cannot say just how disappointed I am in you. You'll need to get medical help. I have a friend in Ohio, who specializes in mental cases like you. Perhaps after you've fixed your little problem you won't be an insult to me." I openly glared at the man; this wasn't who I knew my father to be. Then again, he was always different around Mother, so that was probably it.

That's how I found out I was leaving to a place called 'The Institute' in Columbus, Ohio. I packed all my clothes and shoes, and my diary and a few mechanical pencils, which were basically everything I owned. I was honestly surprised it only filled up five suitcases; it was an insult, really.

I was shipped off on a plane, to my very doom.

**-x-**

Carlisle Cullen was waiting for me. I'd known it was he because I'd seen him in a vision I had on the plane. "Hello, Carlisle." I said immediately, smirking at the surprise on his face. "I know, 'no Dr. Cullen?' I simply wanted to save your breath from saying to call you Carlisle; I hope you don't mind." I gave him a sickly sweet smile and he returned it with a smirk of his own.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mary—"

"Alice; I go by Alice."

"Alright, Alice, then. I just wanted to tell you that you'll be put into a group of people with problems just like yourself, and you'll have either a college intern or another doctor that you can go to for anything. Every week you'll come to my office so I can see how you're doing, but every day you'll be able to talk to anyone in your group. I just wanted to make that clear." Carlisle gave me a warm smile, his compassion giving him a friendly demeanor.

"Okay, thank you for telling me, Carlisle. Can we go, now?" I gave him another sickly sweet smile, trying my best not to gag. This whole thing was stupid and a waste of time; I didn't have a problem.

**-x-**

"Here you are, Alice. These are the people in your group." Carlisle told me as we went into a room. We'd dropped my stuff off at my room. I didn't know who my roommate was, but I'd find out eventually. "Everyone, introduce yourself to each other, please. Give out your full name, what you prefer to be called, why you're here, and something you enjoy doing." He added, announcing it to everyone in the room.

"Yes, sarge!" A bulky, brunette guy announced, giving Carlisle a salute.

"Thank you for that, Emmett." The doctor replied in a somewhat bored, yet amused, tone, rolling his eyes before leaving me to my doom.

I looked around the people before me. There was the bulky, brunette guy who'd giving Carlisle a salute just moments ago. He seemed really buff, he was at least two feet taller than I was, even if he was sitting criss-cross apple sauce. He had dark brown eyes, dimples that were just more noticeable than mine, and a seemingly permanent smile on his face. He was the first to speak. "Yo! I'm Emmett McCarthy, call me Emmett if you enjoy living, _apparently_, I have anger issues. OH! And I love DDR! And video games in general! And football! And basketball! And soccer! And other sports! BUT MOSTLY BASEBALL!" I, along with everyone else in the room, laughed at his obvious eagerness to make me feel welcome.

The girl sitting next to him was absolutely _gorgeous_. Looking at her took a horrible blow to my self-esteem. She had long, flowing golden blonde hair, and smirking violet blue eyes. There wasn't a blemish on her face, and I noticed all the different fashion labels she was wearing. She had long legs, but her body was unusually thin. "Hello, I suppose," she sighed, before continuing. "I'm Rosalie Hale, but it's just Rosalie. I have an eating disorder called anorexia, if you don't know what it is, fucking google it. And I love working on cars." Rosalie seemed bored, and came off as bitchy, but I thought we were going to become close friends.

The next person was a guy, and she had messy auburn hair. His eyes were green, and I admit he was sort of cute, but he just wasn't my type. "I'm Edward Mason, call me Edward, _not_ Eddie. I have MPD, but my only alternate personality is Lauren Mallory. By what I've heard of her, she's a real bitchwhore who makes me look like a faggot cross-dresser. I like playing the piano."

The girl in the corner seemed to be afraid of everything and everyone around her. "I-I'm I-Isabella Swan. It's just B-Bella, though. I'm a fat pig and I disgust myself to a point where I eat and puke it all up later. I like being left alone." I looked her over. She had long wavy brown hair, and big chocolate doe eyes. She was pretty, and I immediately wanted to become her friend. I could tell we'd be friends too.

The last person there was a guy. An absolutely gorgeous, perfect guy. He had blonde hair, and hazel eyes I practically melted in. He was tall, much taller than me, but not as tall as Emmett. He was absolutely perfect in every way. He was in every way my type. "Hello. I'm Jasper Whitlock, it's just Jasper, though, and I'm gunna be helping you get better. I like football and wrestling." I absolutely melted at his Southern accent.

Then I noticed everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to introduce myself. "Hola, I'm Mary Brandon, but it's just Alice. I cause self-inflicted pain." I chewed my lip, self-consciously playing with the scrunchie that dawned my wrist. I decided to go along with the façade of me hurting myself, even though that so wasn't the case. "I love shopping." I tried to sound enthusiastic, but I think I failed miserably. I looked at the faces of everyone. Bella looked about the same, but worry flickered in her eyes. Edward didn't seem to know what to say. Rosalie seemed to pity me. It looked like Emmett was thinking of a way to crack a joke to break the awkwardness. And Jasper? Well, he looked like he was in pain, but as I looked in his eyes, I saw pure hatred and anger. What had I done that angered him? I just _met_ him. Emmett decided to try to fix the awkward moment.

"So, d'you like, have a stash of razors in your suitcase?"

**-x-**

**did you like it? don't worry, i'll add jasper's pov in the next**

**chapter. it's just almost one am and i wanted to get this up**

**so here you go. anyway, this was like three pages, which is**

**a major accomplishment for me, so you should just be happy**

**i added another chapter so soon. and you should show that**

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	3. Three: Socks with Sandals

**hey hey hey! Here's the not-so-long awaited jasper's pov! hope you guys enjoy getting into his head! (: so i've got a question from pharas1 that i'd love to answer. jasper isn't mad at alice, per say, but i'm not going to tell you anything else; i don't want to ruin the chapter for you guys! so you'll just have to read to find out... ( :**

**-x-**

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I was going to meet the group I was supposed to lead today; and I was anything but calm and collected. What if I was horrible at helping them get better? What if I fucked them up even more? A ton of 'what ifs' ran through my mind, just proving how nervous I was. I tried, and completely failed, to calm myself down, so I went to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee before starting to walk to Carlisle's office for my group assignment. He just told me to go to room 403 in the West Dormitory Wing. Apparently, that's where the groups were held; a different room for different groups.

I sighed as I watched people walk past the room. I was sort of excited when a big, bulky guy stopped in here. "Room 403, right? No, don't tell me this is the cafeteria again!" I laughed openly at his mock horror. Obviously, he knew this was the right room, but he seemed to enjoy making people laugh. I wondered privately why he was here; he seemed perfectly normal.

When another guy entered the room, it was sort of weird. The had this weird auburn/bronze colored hair, and he was currently wiping cherry red lipstick from his lips. "Goddamned Lauren… look like a fag…" I heard him mutter, guessing Lauren was his girlfriend or something, and she'd made out with him while wearing the bright lipstick.

Two more people entered the room and the same time, both girls. One walked in like she owned the place, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as the tall, bulky guy came into her view. Honestly, she was fucking gorgeous, her legs looked miles long, even though they were covered up with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. She was at least 6'3" with those killer heels on; she looked like a fucking model. It was sort of obvious to me that she had an eating disorder, considering she seemed way too thin for he tall frame. The other, brunette, walked in as if she was meeting her doom. She looked painfully timid, and it was obvious she wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I honestly felt bad for her; it was hard not to.

Then Carlisle came in with an absolute angel. She was painfully short, like a pixie, her black flats not helping the fact, but she was the most beautiful thing. Her hair was black and short, sticking out in every which way direction. She was a sight to behold; my own personal gift sent directly from God.

"Everyone, introduce yourself to each other, please. Give out your full name, what you prefer to be called, why you're here, and something you enjoy doing." Carlisle announced, interrupting my thoughts. I was glad; I'd love to put a name to her angelic face.

"Yes, sarge!" the bulky guy exclaimed, giving him a salute. I was right in my assumption that he enjoyed making people laugh.

"Thank you for that, Emmett." Carlisle replied in a monotone, yet somewhat amused voice, before leaving me to wonder who this girl was.

The tall, bulky guy was the first to speak. "Yo! I'm Emmett McCarthy, call me Emmett if you enjoy living, _apparently_, I have anger issues. OH! And I love DDR! And video games in general! And football! And basketball! And soccer! And other sports! BUT MOSTLY BASEBALL!" Everyone in the room laughed at his eagerness to make everyone feel welcome; I assumed he had been here, at this stupid institution, before. I noted how the pixie girl's face light up when she laughed, as if she hadn't a care in the world, and I realized I had a crush on this short, petite, gorgeous girl.

The blonde girl was next to speak, and I noticed she had blue eyes that resembled the violets I'd laid on my mother's grave. "Hello, I suppose," she sighed, but continued anyway, "I'm Rosalie Hale, but it's just Rosalie. I have an eating disorder called anorexia, if you don't know what it is, fucking google it. And I love working on cars." She came off as a bitch to me, but as I stared intently at her, I realized she was just slightly broken inside. Something had happened to her that she was completely scared would happen again.

The guy with the fucked up hair that was almost surely died introduced himself next. "I'm Edward Mason, call me Edward, _not_ Eddie. I have MPD, but my only alternate personality is Lauren Mallory. By what I've heard of her, she's a real bitchwhore who makes me look like a faggot cross-dresser. I like playing the piano." I looked at him, understanding his obvious anger that he had to live life not knowing if he was going to become literally someone else entirely in the next five seconds.

The brunette girl who had squeezed herself in the corner was very hesitant to speak, but introduced herself all the same. "I-I'm I-Isabella Swan. It's just B-Bella, though. I'm a fat pig and I disgust myself to a point where I eat and puke it all up later. I like being left alone." I felt a pang of pity over this Bella. She was bulimic, but I thought it went deeper than just her hating how "fat" she was. I thought it was weird how Rosalie and Bella were the same in the fact they thought they were too fat to digest food. It was sort of depressing, really.

I decided to introduce myself to these absolute strangers next. "Hello. I'm Jasper Whitlock, it's just Jasper, though, and I'm gunna be helping you get better. I like football and wrestling." I almost winced at my obvious southern accent. Everyone then had their attention on the angel who had yet to introduce herself.

"Hola, I'm Mary Brandon, but it's just Alice. I cause self-inflicted pain." I almost threw something at the wall. This absolute angel did the same thing my mother had done so many years ago, leaving me to be abused by the man who was supposed to be my father? "I love shopping." Alice added, obviously trying and failing to sound enthusiastic. I felt the pain I'd felt when I found my mother using a butcher's knife to end her pathetic life. I practically saw the burn marks she had from running her lit cigarette on her arms. I saw her wild, crazy thrill the pain caused her.

And I felt hatred and anger towards my father. He was the one who made my mother so fucked up. If he'd just obeyed the restraining order, my mother would be alive and I probably would still be at college, on a scholarship for football like I'd always wanted. But my goddamned father had ripped our family apart from the moment he joined the Marines. I couldn't believe this Alice; this gorgeous, goddess of a woman, had just introduced herself and made me relive my whole life doing it.

"So, d'you like, have a stash of razors in your suitcase?" Emmett said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. I was honestly about ready to kill him. How _dare_ he make fun of the situation? This was serious, for fuck's sake! I almost tackled him, but thought better of it. He had anger management problems, and he could certainly beat the shit out of me any day of the week. After goofing off for a while, we left for lunch.

_**-x-**_

I don't really know how it happened, but I ended up sitting next to Alice eating Mac n' Cheese, not that I was complaining. We started talking about random things, and somehow we got into the subject of fashion, which just proves I'm confident enough about my manliness to have a serious conversation with a girl – a very HOT girl at that – about clothes.

"I hate it when guys wear socks with sandals. It's super annoying! It's always either too hot for socks or too cold for sandals; you just can't screw with the natural balance of things!" I raised my eyebrow at her obvious passion on the subject.

"So, the force would be like, fucked up if I wore sandals with my _faveeeeee_ pair of thigh-high neon pink socks with the red hearts on them? But I absolutely love that outfit! Especially when I wear a Speedo!" I faked a gay voice. I was happy to see her hide her laughter to give a mock-serious reply.

"The force would be so fucked up, Darth Vader wouldn't have choked Padme with it, and Luke would never have to wonder who his father was." Alice was unable to hide her laughter, and neither was I. She clutched her stomach as our laughter continued, just showing how much fun she was having.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and as we finally regained our breath, I wiped them of her cheeks so they wouldn't be tear-stained later. I felt her breath catch in her throat, becoming shallower. I wanted nothing more that to kiss her right then, and she seemed to be leaning in, wanted a kiss all the same. Instead of planting one on me, though, she just whispered in my ear, "My boyfriend James would hate me even more if he knew what we were doing right now."

My heart broke at the mention of her boyfriend; I didn't know she had a boyfriend. I'd thought she was seriously the girl of my dreams., but I guess it was sort of hard to be the girl of someone's dreams when you were already in a relationship. "I don't see what we're doing wrong; we're just two _friends_ having a good time together." I stressed the word 'friends' to help remind myself she was off-limits, no matter how much I wished it wasn't true.

**-x-**

**awww, poor jasper. ): so, you know that little button riiiight down there? why don't you click it and make me super happyful? i'd love to know what you think of the chapter! i'm glad a lot of you have been adding this story to your story alert, but if you review instead of just merely adding me to story alert, i'lll know people are actually reading! you reviewing makes me happy, which makes me update faster, which makes you happy! so reviewing leads to your happiness! do you **_**want**_** to be depressed? no? then review silly!**


	4. AN: Sorry

Otay. So. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. But, I totally lost my train of thought on this story.

I'm really oober sorry, but I hope I'll think of something soon.

Love yas, Lixxy3


	5. Four: Fast Friends

hey guys! so this is the next chapter of the insitute! sorry it took super long… i've had writers block on this story for like, ever. but anyway, here you go! you all probably hate me for not adding anything on in like, forever, but I'm super sorry, and i'm gunna try and update more often! hope you all like it! 3

-x-

I sighed, waiting on the couch in my, well my and my two roommates', mini-living room. I was so anxious to see who they were; it was really starting to get to me. I silently bounced up and down as I sipped my red bull. It was so hard to just, wait there. I wasn't really used to being alone for so long.

Finally, as if it was God finally cutting me a break, the door handle jiggled as someone seemed to struggle with the keys. I sat up excitedly, to see Bella from our little small-group thing.

"Hi!" I exclaimed excitedly, smiling widely. Bella jumped about twenty feet in the air, and I immediately felt bad for scaring her.

"H-hi… Mary, was it?" Bella replied, seeming anxious. I shrugged off her using my first name, she didn't really know me and I just scared the living daylights out of her.

"I prefer Alice, actually. You're Bella?" I said, making the last part sound like a question, even though I knew the answer. She merely nodded, and I giggled slightly. "I guess we're roommates then! Do you know who else is living with us?" She shook her head this time, and mumbled something I couldn't hear. "I'm sorry?" I said, showing her I didn't know what she was saying.

"Oh, I just said you're unusually happy for a cutter.." Bella told me, blushing scarlet, and making me look at the ground.

"Oh…" I said, seeming kind of sad. I have to say, I was beginning to be a pretty good liar. My sadness made her blush even more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" Her eyes went wide, like a doe's. She's really, rather adorable, honestly.

I was about to say it was okay, when the door opened again. Rosalie walked in and I blinked happily. I had a feeling we'd all be very, very close friends.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow at the two of us. "Bulimia, and self injury?"

"Y-yea…" Bella muttered. She was obviously embarrassed. I wondered silently why she did that, but I figured I'd probably find out in time. I had a feeling we would all be here a while, after all.

"Mhmm." I muttered, feeling an uncomfortable look flash across my face. It wasn't, surprisingly, faked, either. I really just, wasn't comfortable talking about that. I just hoped that nobody would ask me in depth about anything. I didn't really want to talk about it; it was personal, you know?

Rosalie nodded once. "Anorexia. Nice to meet you."

I felt one of my eyebrows quirk up. "You introduced yourself with your problem?"

The blonde girl let out a bitter laugh. "Yes. After all, that's how the rest of the world sees it. Just like with you two; the world just sees your bulimia, and your self injury. Why not just save people the "Is she eating properly"s, and just tell them straight out that it's your condition? Why waste your breath telling them your name, when all they'll know you as is "that one anorexic girl", or "that bulimic kid" or "that cutter"? What's the point?"

I looked at her, surprised. She had a small, bitter smile on her face. "Your name matters, to me. I'm not going to judge you because of something you do, trust me." I felt a bitter smile of my own on my face, but I didn't try to wipe it off. If we were being brutally honest with each other, then what was the point, anyway?

Rosalie looked shocked; her eyes sparkled with tears. "I don't remember the last time someone's told me that… Thank you." She blinked back tears before continuing again, "I'm Rosalie Hale. You can call me Rose, though, if you want."

I smiled softly. "That's a very pretty name, Rose. I'm Mary Alice Brandon, but it's just Alice."

Rose smiled. "I like that. Alice, that's a good name." Rosalie looked to Bella. "Since we're all being friendly, what's your name?"

Bella looked shocked. I guessed she probably didn't think someone like Rosalie would care. I couldn't blame Bella though; Rose kind of came off as a bitch. "I'm Isabella Swan. It's just… Bella though." Rose gave a wide smile.

"It's nice to meet you." The girl said, and we all got to talking. Rose and I had shopping in common, and we agreed that we'd have to take Bella shopping. Bella moaned and complained, and I found out that Bella just needed someone to be nice to her, as did Rosalie. We all were just talking about nonsense, and eventually we got onto the 'boys' topic. Fuck.

"So, do any of you have a boyfriend?" Rose brought on the topic smoothly. Bella shook her head no quickly, but when I hesitated, a smile came across Rose's face. "What's his name? You have to tell us everything, Alice."

I grinned softly, wishing we didn't get to this topic, but I hid that. I didn't want them to think there was anything, other than 'cutting', that was wrong with me. "Well, his name's James…"

Bella had a flash of an emotion I couldn't really decipher on her face. "James Sullivan?" I nodded slowly, and Bella's eyes widened. "You're… still with him?" I nodded yet again, and Bella muttered a "Fuck" under her breath.

"What, do you know him?" I asked, wondering what was making her act this way.

"Yeah, you could say that." A bitter look came across her face, and I furrowed my eyebrows, but didn't ask what happened. I had a slight feeling; she was probably the 'psycopath ex' James always mentioned. According to James, his ex-girlfriend was a crazy chick who was always pressuring sex on him. I shook my head softly; Bella would never do something like that, right?

Bella sighed softly, figuring Rose and I wanted an explaination. "Well, I, uh, knew him before I moved to Washington… We were, an item… And, he was always yelling at me, telling me how worthless I am. He was always trying to pressure me into having sex with him, and he was always pissed at me when I ignored him for a few days to be with my friends… And, one day, I just, snapped. I freaked out and just… I was disgusted with myself." Bella sighed, picking at her nails. I felt my eyes widen. James did that to her, too? I mean, I'd never go bulimic because of him, but I couldn't believe he was like that to Bella; she seemed like a really nice girl.

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Is James like that with you?"

I nodded softly; there was no point in lying. "He hits me a lot… But don't worry, it's my fault. When he tells me I'm worthless, and lucky to have him, it's true. I mean, what's so great about me?" I bit on my lip, not believing I could've let that slip out. I was such an idiot, sometimes. What the fuck was my problem, anyway? Rose's eyes narrowed, and my eyes shifted to the clock; it was almost midnight. I yawned, and wiggled my nose. "I'm going to go to bed, okay? It's late, and I'm pretty sure we have class in the morning, right?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, that's how it is here. It's basically like high school, but with the exception that once a week, you have to meet with Carlisle, and then everyday after classes you have to go and be in small groups. This is my third year here."

"Oh, alright. Thanks." I yawned again, and just threw off my jeans before crawling into bed; I didn't feel like changing right now. It would be too much of a hassle. Thankfully, sleep came to me quite easily, for once.

-x-

I was awaken by Rosalie's blaring alarm. It was set for five o'clock, in the morning, so she could get ready. Her hand shot out to quiet it, and she muttered a few curse words, hoping she didn't wake us up. Bella was still asleep, but I wasn't. I couldn't go back to sleep now, of course, so I just sat up and started trying to pick out my outfit for today. I ended up picking a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, and an electric blue undershirt, and a grey long-sleeved over shirt. No scrunchies would be needed today, thank God. They got so irritating sometimes.

Chewing on my lip, I waited for Rosalie to get done in the bathroom. She exited, and seemed surprised to see me, awake. "I'm a morning person." I gave her a soft smile, and her mouth formed an 'O'.

"You can eat in the cafeteria after you're done. Bella's been here for over a month; she'll be fine. But I'll show you where it is, when you're done." Rose told me. She really was a sweet girl; the bitchy vibe you get from her was just like a wall to protect herself.

I quickly showered; it would've taken a much longer time if my hair was still long, and pretty. But, since my hair was still short -- it was growing out though, slowly but surely -- it barely took any time, at all. Wiggling my nose, I pushed my bangs to the side, before towel-drying it swiftly. I slipped into my clothes. I skipped back to my room quickly to grab a pair of neon blue ballet flats, before meeting back with Rosalie, putting my room key and chapstick in my right pocket. I looked at the clock -- it was already 6:30. Time really did go by fast.

"You're hungry?" Rose asked, and I nodded, grinning at her outfit. She looked really pretty today. She was wearing a white shirt, a jean vest over that, and a really bouncy, pink skirt. She had slipped green peep-toe wedges on, and she looked really pretty. Rosalie had an amazing sense of style. We walked out the door, and I followed her for a while, in complete silence.

"You look really pretty." I told her casually, chewing on my lip. I hated silence, with an almost burning passion.

Rose looked up at me with surprise. "Oh… Thanks. You do too." She flashed a smile at me, and I gave her one back. I knew she was lying though, I'm not pretty. Rose started telling me where things were, as we walked outside so we could go to a different building. She showed me which buildings freshman, sophomore, juinor, and senior classes were held in. After a while, we made it to the building the cafeteria was in.

Rose led me in, and grabbed a tray, leading me through the line. She grabbed a lot of food, for someone with anorexia. When we got out of the lunch line, we both had kind of big breakfasts. Rose had two huge pancakes, and fried eggs with bacon on the side. She automatically grabbed a cup of apple juice. I had hash browns, scrambled eggs, and toast. I put a ton of ketchup on top of my hash browns, and got some coffee. I couldn't start the day without coffee. I followed Rose to a table, and we across from each other. Bella came inside to grab breakfast soon after we sat down, so we waited to start until she got there. She next to Rose, and we all started talking animatedly. I was sipping my coffee a lot, and taking bites from my food, as was Bella. Rose kind of nibbled on her pancakes, but took long drinks of her apple juice every few moments. She wasn't really comfortable with eating a lot, I could see that, but I didn't mention it. It was a problem she was going through.

Around seven thirty, a lot of people were flooding in. Rosalie was finally taking regular bites of her food, and while she was biting into her bacon, she saw Emmett walking towards us. She practically threw down the bacon on her plate and swallowed what was in her mouth. Rose bit into her lip, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

Emmett sat down next to me, and grinned at the three of us. I guessed he was friends with Rosalie, or Bella, or something. "Hey!" He boomed out, a wide grin showing his deep dimples off.

Rosalie pursed her lips lightly. "Hello." She said, a coolness in her voice. She was putting up that wall again; Emmett probably made her feel uncomfortable.

"Hi!" I said, probably coming out kind of excitedly. I really did have a tendency to do stuff like that. Bella merely nodded. I had a feeling Emmett was just there to bother us all, but I really didn't care. As long as he didn't make Rose too uncomfortable, she was starting to get kind of jumpy.

Rosalie stood up abruptly, throwing her food roughly into the trash and starting to walk out of the cafeteria. Bella followed quickly, and I sat there, confused for a moment. Emmett gritted his teeth.

"Why the fuck does she always do that? I didn't freaking do anything!" He clentched his fists together, and I sighed softly.

"I'm sorry. She's really, a nice person." I said softly, hoping he would calm down.

"I know she is! But she fucking hates me!" I winced; he was yelling. I really, hated yelling.

"I doubt she does… Why don't you just try talking to her?" I offered.

"She always leaves before I can talk to her!" He gritted his teeth, and his knuckles were turning white.

I wiggled my nose softly. "Maybe you could… I dunno… Sit by her in class? But like, come in right before class starts so she can't move or anything?"

Emmett's eyes light up. "You're so smart, little pixie!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Pixie? Really Emmy? _Really_?" His lip jutted in a pout and I laughed, it looked so out of place on his face.

"My name's not Emmy." He muttered, making me laugh even harder. He looked up at the clock. "Shit! We hafto get to class, lil' missy."

"I don't know where my class is though?" I told him, biting my lip.

"You're a senior?" I nodded at his question. "Biology with Mr. Banner?" I nodded again. "Perfect! Follow me!" Emmett jumped out of his seat and threw his tray away, I followed him and did the same with mine. We walked into class together and Emmett took my advice and sat by Rose. She looked peeved. I sat by the only other open seat, by Edward. I was kind of nervous, because he was dressed in drag, and it was honestly kind of freaky.

Mr. Banner cleared his throat. "I hope you all like your seats, because you're sitting here for the rest of the semester. And, to start off the year, I have a real treat for you; we're going to disect squid!" He was the only one who sounded really excited. I scrunched my nose up slightly; that wouldn't really be my cup of tea.

What really shocked me is when Edward, dawned in his bright read lipstick, bow in his hair, and skirt squeezing his poor ass, made a noise of disgust. "Eh-mi-Gawd! I am _not_ touching that!" Edward looked at me. "You better do everything, ohkay?" He sounded like one of those really annoying, 'popular' girls who whored themselves around.

I raised an eyebrow delicately. "Okay? Can't you help a bit, though?"

Edward gave me a look up and down. "Lauren Mallroy doesn't, and repeat, does _not _even _think_ about touching gross, disgusting frogs! _Guh-ROSS_!"

I just rolled my eyes. "Okay, whatever. I don't really care, Lauren." Edward, I mean,_ Lauren_, just gave me a look that clearly said, 'that's what I thought.'

Then, Mr. Banner started passing out the frogs. There were trays that he'd already had on the tables. He went around the room, slapping them against the tables. It was, honestly, rather nauseating.

"Lauren" started standing the scalpel up, and was really not paying attention at all. The next moment kind of happened in a blur. Mr. Banner flopped the squid on our table, and squid juice squirted on "Lauren." "Lauren" shrieked, like a girl, and flailed her arm towards my own, the scalpel still in her hand. It dug into my skin, making me bite my lip. I saw the beads of blood grow from the cut, and muttering cuss words under my breath, I slowly pulled the tool out; the tip was pretty much covered in blood. Fuck.

Nobody would've noticed, if "Lauren" had kept her stupid mouth shut. And, of course, 'she' decided to put the blame all on me. "_Eww_! Mr. Banner, this chick used the knife-thing to cut herself!"

Mr. Banner looked up me, a shocked look on his face. He looked at a paper on his clipboard, then told me to come outside. He lead me to the small group room I was assigned to the day before, and I saw Jasper sitting there, writing a paper. Just, fucking, _perfect_.

Mr. Banner muttered something to Jasper, and his eyes were filled with sympathy as he looked at me. "Alice, could you come sit down, please?" I rolled my eyes slightly and sat; as if I had a choice. "Why'd you do this?" He asked me, somewhat forcefully. Looking in his eyes, I could tell he was pretty much pissed the hell off.

"I can do whatever the hell I want." I snapped, practically begging he would say something back. I really needed to calm down, but I didn't really care. So what if he was going to think I had anger issues on top of my 'self-harm'? I, for once, didn't give a fuck. The moment I turn eighteen, I can leave to do whatever the hell I want. I just have to wait out until the summer. That wouldn't be too hard.

"Yeah, you can. Honestly, I shouldn't give a shit, right? But, I do. You're parents want you to get better, so that's what I'm trying to do. This'll help you in the long run, okay?" I couldn't help myself; I laughed out loud.

"You think my parents _want_ me to get better?" I rolled my eyes. "As far as they're concerned, by now, I'm just a little, ungrateful girl who don't even deserve their last name. As far as they're concerned, I might as well be fucking dead. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they held a funeral, saying I fucking died in my sleep or something. So don't you dare try and make me believe my parents care, because that's all a load of bullshit, Jasper. _Bullshit_."

Jasper looked kind of shocked. I guess he didn't expect me to be so, straight forward. Most people would wonder why I didn't blame it all on "Lauren." Well, that was easy; they wouldn't believe me. So, what was the point? "Why do you feel that way?" He asked after a moment of silence. I sighed; I might as well cooperate.

"Cynthia's perfect. She's the youngest, but the most loved. I'm nothing compared to her. I was the first one in my class to read a whole paragraph fluenty? Who cares, when Cynthia had just taught herself to ride a bike. She always outshone me. Always. I made honor roll for the first time, during seventh grade? Who cares? Cynthia always fucking had honor roll." I bit my lip, and sighed. "The only person I could ever talk to was James, when we were still friends. When he asked me out, I figured I would. After all, who else would go for me? And, James really was a nice person; my mother just fucking loved him. More than me, that's for sure. I just. I can't _stand_ my stupid family. I don't even want kids anymore, because I don't want them to have a grandmother like my mother." I paused slightly, to take a deep breath. "Sorry, it doesn't matter. Forget I fucking said anything, alright? It's just stupid." I shook my head softly when he started to speak, and walked out. My next class was starting soon, after all.

-x-

did you all love it? xD this was like, six pages long on my word processor... so i hope you fucking enjoyed it! xD this story's kind of going by fast, and you'll probably be mad at me for making rose and alice, and bella really quick friends. but, it was to show that just because they're judged by society, doesn't mean they aren't easy to get along with. in all honesty, rose is probably my most developed character, so far. and trust me, i have a ton planned out! so, please review! i promise i won't go for this long without updating ever, ever again! btw, you guys might've noticed i changed my penname! xD sorry about that... i just like, _hated_ my old one! xoxo, elizabeth.


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